Editor's Picks

The National League Championship Series begins Friday in Milwaukee, so we have plenty of time to dissect this terrific matchup. The Dodgers will enter the series as heavy favorites, both in terms of the oddsmakers and by the metrics. My system gives the Dodgers a 63 percent chance to dispatch the Brewers, even though Milwaukee owns the home-field edge.

Still, this is a compelling matchup that is a lot more even than it seems through the prism of cold, hard metrics. For one thing, there is the recency factor. The Dodgers and Brewers enter their showdown as two of the hottest teams in baseball.

Milwaukee has won 11 straight, including the season-ending usurpation of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The Brewers have drubbed opponents to an 80-34 tune in that stretch. Meanwhile, the Dodgers appear to finally be playing up to preseason expectations after a season of fits and starts. Los Angeles has won seven of eight and outscored opponents 47-15 during its run.

Something has got to give, and let's hope it's the blowout trend. We need some high drama on the NL side of the postseason landscape.

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